Lochs and locks

Friday 6 July – South Laggan to Invermoriston

Today was a long day, some 33km. But it was one of the best days of our entire end-to-end walk.

Under yet another cloudless blue sky, we left our lovely B&B to meet our friends Scott and Isabel outside their hostel just down the road as they were joining us for the first part of the day. The sun was shining, there was no wind, the air was pleasantly cool though promising a warm 22 degrees. Indeed a great day to be walking!

The first half an hour took us along the Caledonian canal, but we were soon walking along the shores of Loch Oich. By now the Great Glen Way had picked up the route of a long-abandoned railway line, so as you’d expect the path was wide and level. To our left we could see glimpses of the loch through the trees, while to our right the trees rose up the hillside. From time to time we passed an interesting feature, an abandoned farmhouse or a short stretch of tunnel or even a railway station being lovingly restored. Most of the way we were walking through a tunnel of trees.

At loch’s end we then met a short stretch of the Caledonian Canal, crossed at that point by the A82 road via a swing bridge which allows tall vessels to proceed up and down. While we were there, we were treated to the sight of the bridge swinging open, slowly rotating on large wheels, while the traffic built up. There was something quite appealing about seeing modern transport having to stop to give way to a much older way of travelling!

At the same point was a cable-stayed cantilever bridge, till the 1930s the only way to cross the adjoining river, and a fascinating example of engineering ingenuity.

Our path then took us for some kilometres along the side of the Caledonian Canal, which would take us to Loch Ness. Alongside us was the river Oich, which drains Loch Oich into Loch Ness. At one point the canal descended through a couple of locks, and the grassy lawn proved a great place to rest for a bit, eat some food, and watch a trio of boats navigate the locks.

The canal took us into the small town of Fort Augustus, located where the canal enters Loch Ness via a flight of six locks. It’s a natural place for people to gather, refresh themselves – as we did – and simply chill out, watching the world go by. At this point we farewelled Scott and Isabel, who would catch a bus back to South Laggan.

The final part of the day was the 15km walk to Invermoriston. It could have been a slog, it could have been boring, but in fact it turned out to be one of the absolute highlights of our entire walk! The Forestry Commission has created a brand-new, high-level alternative to the old (but still open) Way along Loch Ness, and in doing so gave us a truly gorgeous walk. The path rose quickly out of Fort Augustus via a conifer plantation, but soon we were in the open moorland, high above the lake.

The Way meandered up and down but reasonably level – and my, the views were to die for! To left and right lay Loch Ness, and we could start to appreciate its immenseness – it’s some 37 miles end to end, virtually dead straight. It’s so long that we couldn’t see it all. It’s not Britain’s biggest lake in area – that honour belongs to loch Lomond – but it’s depth means it holds more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined. And the makers of the new route (opened only three years ago) thoughtfully placed large slabs of stone at particular places, so you could sit and soak up the views. Which we did – frequently!

All good things come to an end, though, and eventually the path took us down a steep slope to the small village of Invermoriston. Our B&B, Bracarina House, turned out to be one of the best we’ve stayed in, a lovely, smart and very welcoming place. Even better, it was just a few metres from the local pub! A tasty dinner, sitting in the early evening warm sun, a lovely ale and a couple of great whiskies later (for Peter), one of the best days ever on the walk drew to a close.

Distance today: 33km / 21 miles

The rail trail: